Health departments gear up for influx of vaccines

A surge of new vaccine shipments is on the horizon and that could provide a much-needed boost to the state’s vaccination efforts.

The state is expecting to receive nearly half-a-million doses of vaccine yet this week. Already, more than 23,000 doses of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been delivered to facilities throughout the state.

Health departments are gearing up for an even bigger windfall throughout the rest of the month. Officials are expecting 4 million doses by the end of March. If all that comes true, officials say we could be vaccinating as many as 80,000 people per day.

Kalamazoo County could see similar boosts to vaccination efforts. County health officer Jim Rutherford said the only thing holding them back is supplies.

“If we vaccinate three to four thousand a week, that’s great. But I know I can do three times that. I just need to get the vaccine,” he said.

Administering that many inoculations is still a logistical hurdle. Achieving those numbers will involve more vaccination clinics, more volunteers, and more staff hours. Some communities are considering taking over convention spaces while others are planning neighborhood pop-up clinics.

You can read more on Bridge Michigan.